United States
project
College of the Florida Keys Marine Technology Building
The College of the Florida Keys Marine Technology Building is a 34,000 SF, 3-Story building located on the NW portion of the campus adjacent to the dive lagoon and offers classes in seamanship, gasoline and diesel engine repair and maintenance, welding and fiberglass work. In addition, classes will also cover the basics of the science of marine construction and propulsion.
The ground floor of the building is an open garage-like space, surrounded by a chain-link fence, that is used to store boats and marine engines in need of need of repair. The second floor is home to the school’s diesel lab and engine testing and repair room. Engines are hoisted to the second floor through two hatches in the ceiling of the first floor by a 2,000 pound winch. Finally, the third floor contains massive classrooms with charting tables, high performance computers, meeting rooms, showers and locker rooms, break rooms and a breathtaking view of the Gulf.
Patrick Rice, dean of career technical and workforce education and the person in charge of the marine and diving programs, said the building “represents a new era for the marine engineering program. The technology infused in the lab space will allow our instructors to interact with the students in ways we’ve never been able to before.”
This innovative facility was constructed utilizing the tilt wall method, creating classrooms that have 90-inch monitors that professors can connect to iPads and computers or simply run a video.
Client
College of the Florida Keys
Location
Key West, FL
SF
34,000
Architect
Hayes Cumming Architects